Here come the handliners

Muddy water leaves few options on Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. – It took two days, but the water on the Detroit River is officially muddy enough to bring out the heavy wire and the crankbaits. The jig bite slowly deteriorated on day two of the season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event. So with one day left of the opening round, many anglers are debating whether to stick with the dying jig bite or switch up and go handlining.

While extremely effective, handlining is not exactly a co-angler-friendly technique like jiggging. It’s a very simple setup that takes plenty of practice to get right. Bounty pro David Kolb reportedly handlined on day two and caught nearly 30 fish. None were huge, but the action was fast and furious as Kolb pulled fish on nearly every pass. In contrast, jiggers like third-place pro Scott Banks and pro leader Mark Meravy are only getting five to seven bites per day.

Gain pro Julia Davis has been handlining all week. She currently sits 50th out of a field of 150, right on the edge of a check in the Pro Division. The Port Clinton, Ohio, resident said she caught roughly 20 walleyes pulling wire yesterday, but it wasn’t easy. Her go-to lure has been the original floating Rapala in a variety of colors.

“It was a lot tougher for the jig fishermen yesterday,” she said. “Eight hours of constantly moving a heavy weight can be exhausting. We make it look very easy and relaxing, but it’s tough.”

Davis thinks she can get another 10 pounds today with relative ease. But since she’s on the verge of cashing a nice check, she wants a little more.

“I’m going to concentrate on an area that hopefully has some bigger fish. We won’t catch as many, but hopefully they won’t all be cookie cutters.”

While handlining looks like the best bet Friday, Lake Erie and all its potential was the talk of the tournament at takeoff Thursday. Most were hoping to score big on the lake. What they found was water that had only a few inches of visibility, more or less chocolate milk. It might sound crazy, but Lake Erie still possesses that tournament-altering potential. If it settles down, one giant bag, so common during practice, could launch an angler into the final round.

With the exception of the top three pros, the weights are bunched tightly together, so movement is likely at today’s weigh-in. In fact, only 9 pounds separates fourth place from 80th place in the Pro Division, meaning half the field still has a legitimate chance at fishing Saturday.

Tournament notes

The critical day-three weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. Eastern time, when the field of 150 boats is trimmed to the top 10 pros and the top 10 co-anglers. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at Elizabeth Park Marina. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 23800 Allen Road in Woodhaven, Mich., beginning at 4 p.m.

Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:56 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 36 degrees

Expected high temperature: 48 degrees

Water temperature: 35-40 degrees

Wind: WNW at 20 mph

Maximum humidity: 60 percent

Day’s outlook: partly cloudy and windy